December27, 2013

Washington, D.C. – Ranking Member Eliot Engel, the senior Democratic Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement regarding the recent attack in Ukraine on journalist Tatiana Chornovol.

“I condemn in the strongest terms the recent attack in Ukraine on journalist Tatiana Chornovol. This brutal beating is all the more alarming in that it comes after other attacks on journalists and activists connected with the on-going protests over President Yanukovych's recent decision to suspend talks with the European Union over closer relations. As I have said repeatedly, Ukraine's authorities must respect fundamental democratic principles of freedom of assembly and expression, and of freedom of the press. The government's response to the attacks on Ms. Chornovol and others is a litmus test of its commitment to uphold these principles. It will be watched closely by the international community and those like me who have warned that those who authorize and employ violence against peaceful protestors should be held personally accountable. It therefore is imperative that the Ukrainian authorities immediately investigate the attacks in a transparent manner and prosecute the perpetrators and organizers to the fullest extent of the law.”